Showing posts with label CTSGreatSaints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CTSGreatSaints. Show all posts

Sunday, 27 April 2025

Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Frost - CTS Biographies

Louis Marie de Montfort
Alan J. Frost
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860822780
ISBN 1860822789
CTS Booklet 680

Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Foster - CTS Great Saints

I discovered the books and booklets of the Catholic Truth Society in 2018. Since that time I have read over 430 different titles, and many of them more than once. This is one that was original part of the CTS Great Saints Series, but is not part of the CTS Biographies. This volume was originally published as part of the CTS Great Saints Series, which is a subset of the CTS Biographies. This books is currently out of print. This booklet was first published in 2004. There is also an newer biography of this saint in the CTS Great Saints Series; Louis Marie de Montfort: His Life, Message and Teaching by Paul Allerton SMM that was published in 2016, I discovered this volume while working on the review of that one, both are marked as part of the CTS Great Saints Series.

The descriptions of this volume is:

“In 1716, aged only 43, this French priest, prophet and preacher died, almost a household name in his own time. Equally shunned and admired, De Montfort strove all his life guiding the lost to Jesus, through Mary. His like has been seen in every generation, especially in our own increasingly secular world – Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Maximillian Kolbe, and even Pope John Paul II, himself greatly influenced by de Montfort’s important writings. The Apostle of ‘True Marian Devotion’ de Montfort is best known for his act of total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary as practiced today by millions.”

This booklet is an excellent volume on this saint and it is part of a wonderful series and I can easily recommend it. The chapters in the booklet are:

Introduction
His Life
Reflection on His Life
His Writings
His Canonisation
His Legacy
Bibliography

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume some of them are:

“Louis Marie de Montfort, like many seemingly 'destined' for sainthood, had a manner of life that was different, we might say other-worldly, from an early age. He grew to become an outstanding and passionate preacher of the message of the Rosary. He was also someone with a special calling, being occasionally blessed with the gift of prophecy.”

“Through all his trials and tribulations, and the depth and detail of his writings, the thrust of his teaching is that the simplest and fullest way to Jesus is through Mary: ad Jesum per Mariam.”

“From an early age, he showed a remarkable horror of sin, and a love of prayer. This would be displayed in formal settings and in solitary wanderings by streams and woods, singing cantiques to God he wrote himself even as a young boy.”

“As he grew, he continued to spend time alone in prayer rather than playing lads' games with his fellow pupils, and privately he submitted himself to regular mortification from his teenage years (wearing a hair-shirt, and iron armlets under his sleeves). He also prayed daily in his parish church, Saint-Sauveur, to Our Lady, to make him day by day more like her Son.”

“Throughout his schooling he proved himself a brilliant student, and when he reached eighteen, expressed a wish to continue his studies in Paris, with a view to entering the seminary of Saint-Sulpice.”

“His sole possessions were a crucifix and a rosary, and though some biographers have speculated that he also stripped himself of his full name on this journey, he continued to sign himself 'Louis Marie Grignion', though he would refer to himself as 'le Pere de Montfort,'”

“We begin to get a picture of one of those rare people who seem literally too good to be true, but true he was, in every sense.”

“Montfort, nevertheless, always accepted what came to him as God's will. Even so, within himself there was a constant need to be certain that he was doing the right thing (whatever that might be). This would eventually, in 1706, lead to him walking to Rome to go straight to the top, so to speak, to know his purpose for certain through God's Vicar on earth”

“He had already gathered some twenty very poor girls of the hospital into a little company. They helped the similarly poor and the disabled. He gave them the name 'Sagesse', and in 1703 this group became the first of the two Orders he founded, the Order of the Daughters of Wisdom.”

“He sat down to his meagre supper as usual at the hospital and found a note by his bowl informing him he was dismissed. It is conjectured that others' ambitions and jealousy were the explanation, and there was always in Montfort' s life the inability of people around him and his superiors to cope with his saintliness.”

“Meanwhile, the poor of Poitiers, who had nothing to do with his sudden leaving in any sense, petitioned their bishop for Montfort's return. More then this, in 1704, 400 of them signed a similar petition to M. Leschassier, who must have thought he had rid himself of responsibilities over Montfort, who continued to write to him irrespective.”

“In the year of 1706 Montfort felt an irresistible urge to go to Rome to know from the Pope himself, the Lord's true purpose for him. So he set out, on foot all the way, hoping for an audience. He undertook this huge journey without any money and carrying only his religious essentials of a Bible, a breviary, a crucifix, rosary and image of Our Lady.”

“Though he met with success in numerous and significant conversions, not least of a prominent townswoman and vociferous heretic, Madame de Mailly, and though he even moved the soldiers of the La Rochelle garrison to tears with his preaching, he was the victim of an attack in the form of the poisoning of his broth one evening. He did recover, but he was seriously weakened, for he had been a man of considerable strength when he wished to use it, in physical labour or in carrying a sick tramp to a place of refuge.”

“Although he had set up his first Order in 1703 (The Daughters of Wisdom), and at a local level had set up small Associations, such as The Daughters of the Cross, The Company of Virgins, The White Penitents, The Friends of the Cross, and The Soldiers of St Michael, he had not yet established a community of priests.”

“What do you say about a man like St Louis-Marie de Montfort? Surely the word 'superhuman' is not out of place. In his physical trials that he imposed on himself everyday, in his work, in his fasting, in his self-denial, in his mortifications, ~e undertook much more than any reasonable human being could ask, or could emulate.”

“Is it excusable, or just an excuse, to say that this was all 300 years ago? Things are so different now, times so changed, the world an altered place, so how could anyone be expected to be his sort of saint. And the Church tut-tuts or downrightly forbids where mortifying the flesh is concerned, while 'sacrifice' is hardly ever spoken of as part of a Catholic's devotion to Christ.”

“Yes, the world has changed, but what has time to do with an immortal soul that is the gift of God, that is the spiritual temple of pure, innocent love. The potential loss of which in others drives all our known and unknown saints in this life, whenever they lived and shall live, whatever the primitive or technologically-advanced times they might be born into.”

“In a nutshell it is 'ad Jesum per Mariam', to Jesus through Mary. This is the underlying theme and teaching of 'The Secret of the Rosary', 'The Secret of Mary', and 'True Devotion to Mary', all stemming from his initial work 'The Eternal Wisdom'.”

“Though the Order grew, up until the late 1800's the Company of Mary confined itself to the north-western area of France. Perhaps it was echoing Montfort's own obedient response to the direction of Pope Clement XI in 1706 to their founder. In 1871 this changed with a mission to Haiti. Then persecution by the French government led to a spread of the congregation to Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and England. This dispersion has continued and today the Montfort Missionaries are found in over thirty countries across the globe.”

This is the second short biography from the CTS on this saint I have read. Both are excellent. This one is packed full of great information, and only partially overlaps the other. I really appreciated the section going through an outline of each of the Saints books. And I found the section on the miracles for canonization fascinating. Over the years I have done a few different versions of the Consecration to Mary, and plan to work through the CTS edition at some point. But reading more about the man and his life was absolutely fascinating. 

This is I believe the only volume published by Alan Frost, for the CTS. Like the other biography of this saint this one reminds of the style reminds me of J.B. Midgley who wrote numerous volumes for the CTS and whose works grew my addiction to the books and booklets from the CTS. The writing is engaging and informative, it is the story of the saint’s life but also about his works and his legacy. It is an excellent biography and one I can easily recommend, another great resource from the Catholic Truth Society.
  
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Note: Midgley wrote the first and last volume in this series that I am aware of alphabetically, and the first three I read were by his pen. I have now read all books I have found marked as part of the CTS Great Saints Series but I keep finding more like this volume occasionally. 

Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Foster 
Martin de Porres - Glynn MacNiven-Johnston
Patrick Missionary to the Irish - Thomas O’Loughlin 

Louis Marie de Montfort His Life, Message and Teaching - Rev Paul Allerton SMM - CTS Great Saints

Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Foster - CTS Great Saints







St Thérèse of Lisieux: Transformation into Love - Jennifer Moorcroft - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies



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Sunday, 13 April 2025

Louis Marie de Montfort His Life, Message and Teaching - Rev Paul Allerton SMM - CTS Biographies

Louis Marie de Montfort: 
His Life, Message and Teaching
Paul Allerton SMM
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781784690946
eISBN 9781784692414
ASIN B072HN8WT2
CTS Booklet B765

Louis Marie de Montfort His Life, Message and Teaching - Rev Paul Allerton SMM - CTS Great Saints

I discovered the books and booklets of the Catholic Truth Society in 2018. Since that time I have read over 430 different titles, and many of them more than once. This is one that was original part of the CTS Great Saints Series, but is not part of the CTS Biographies. This volume was originally published as part of the CTS Great Saints Series, which is a subset of the CTS Biographies. The eBook edition still had the Great Saints cover but the print edition is currently out of print. This booklet was first published in 2016 and the eBook released in 2017. There is also an older biography of this saint in the CTS Great Saints Series by Alan J. Foster that was published in 2004, that I plan to track down and review as well.

The descriptions of this volume is:

“A fascinating reflection on the life and legacy of one of the greatest teachers of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary the world has ever seen.

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort is one of the greatest teachers of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary the world has ever seen. His teaching and preaching renewed large areas of North-west France until his death in 1716, work continued to this day by religious institutes inspired by him.

Written for the 300th anniversary of his death, this booklet offers a fascinating reflection on his life and the legacy he left to the whole Church.”

This booklet is an excellent volume on this saint and it is part of a wonderful series and I can easily recommend it. The chapters in the booklet are:

Preface
Early Life
Training for the Priesthood
Early Hopes and Frustrations
Missions in the Diocese of Nantes
Last Years
The Legacy of a Saint

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume some of them are:

“Louis Grignion was born on 31st January 1673 in the little town of Montfort-sur-Meu (then known as Montfort-la-Cane), approximately 30 km to the west of Rennes, the provincial capital of Brittany.”

“The only name given to him at his Baptism was Louis, though today he is better known as Louis Marie. It is likely that he took the name Marie, in honour of his beloved spiritual Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, at his Confirmation, though we have no certainty regarding this.”

“In all his missionary work as a priest as well as in his writings, the renewal of baptismal commitment was a privileged theme. For himself, Montfort was the place of his Baptism, his entry into the real life of relationship with God, so Montfort remained for him a very important place.”

“A more significant influence from this time at the Jesuit College was the strong emphasis placed by the Jesuits on devotion to the Blessed Virgin.”

“His growing awareness of Mary’s place is reflected in the numerous visits he used to make at this time to various shrines of Our Lady to be found in the town of Rennes.”

“Later, he would teach, both in his writings and in his preaching, that devotion to Mary is one of the most important means of being in the right relationship with Jesus himself; and here in Rennes, we can see the foundations of his teaching being solidly laid.”

“The trouble was that Louis Marie Grignion could never fit into this mould; he was not in the least concerned with making a career for himself, and his enthusiastic embracing of both devotion to the Blessed Virgin and the practice of penance was seen, both by many of the staff of the seminary as well as by most of the students, to be ‘over-the-top’.”

“A particular focal point of all his missions was a solemn renewal of the vows of Baptism. For this he would organise a special service which would often begin outside the church. The people would process into the church and make their way, one by one, to the baptismal font, where they would solemnly declare their intention to live up to their baptismal commitments and would bless themselves with the water in the font. They would then make their way to the altar or chapel of Our Lady, where they would make a special offering, asking her to aid them in their Christian lives.”

“Three hundred years after his death, St Louis Marie de Montfort continues to exert his influence in the Church, both as a missionary (through his followers in the Montfortian congregations) and as a fervent champion of Our Blessed Lady, his ‘good Mother’.”

“Sound teaching on the love of God for each one of us, genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin, the efficacy of meditation on the Rosary, and the importance for Christians of embracing the Cross of Christ: such is the written legacy of this great saint. May he long continue to inspire Christians of all ages and conditions, to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel.”

This is a short biography but it is still packed full of great information. Over the years I have done a few different versions of the Consecration to Mary, and plan to work through the CTS edition at some point. But reading more about the man and his life was absolutely fascinating. 

This is I believe the only volume published by Rev Paul Allerton, either from the CTS or any publishers. I did numerous searches and could only find this single volume. I think it is a pity his writing style reminds me of J.B. Midgley who wrote numerous volumes for the CTS and whose works grew my addiction to the books and booklets from the CTS. The writing is engaging and often entertaining, it is the story of the saints life but really draws you in. It is an excellent biography and one I can easily recommend, another great resource from the Catholic Truth Society.
  
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.


Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Foster 
Martin de Porres - Glynn MacNiven-Johnston
Patrick Missionary to the Irish - Thomas O’Loughlin 

Louis Marie de Montfort His Life, Message and Teaching - Rev Paul Allerton SMM - CTS Great Saints

Louis Marie de Montfort - Alan J. Foster - CTS Great Saints







St Thérèse of Lisieux: Transformation into Love - Jennifer Moorcroft - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies



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Friday, 15 March 2024

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux - Vernon Johnson - CTS Biographies

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Vernon Johnson
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860821462
eISBN 9781784692643
ASIN B071SBMZ1Y
CTS Booklet B204

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux - Vernon Johnson - CTS Biographies

I discovered the books and booklets of the Catholic Truth Society in 2018. Since that time I have read 380 different titles, and many of them more than once. This is one of several that focuses on Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. This volume was originally published as part of the CTS Great Saints Series, which is a subset of the CTS Biographies. The eBook edition still had the Great Saints cover but the print edition was rebranded. It is also one of several that I have read by Vernon Johnson. This booklet was first published in 1936, reprinted in 2012 and the eBook released in 2017. 

The descriptions of this volume is:

“Discover the inspiring story of one of the most beloved modern saints, St Thérèse of Lisieux, who lived with the sort of simplicity and “littleness” we are each called to imitate.

"I do not repent of having surrendered myself to love." Born in 1873 at Alencon in France, Marie Francoise Thérèse Martin died in 1897 aged 24 of tuberculosis at her Carmelite convent in Lisieux. She was canonised in record time, only 28 years after her death, and 100 years later John Paul II declared her a doctor of the Church. This authoritative life of Thérèse, a true classic, tells the story of one of Christ's little ones.”

This booklet is another excellent volume on this saint and it is part of a wonderful series and I can eaily recommend it. The chapters in the booklet are:

In the World
     Home and Infancy
     School Days
     First Communion
     Apostolic Zeal
     Forcing the Gates of Carmel
     In Rome
In Carmel
     Novitiate and Profession
     The Saint’s Spirituality
     Last Illness
     Last Months
In Heaven
     The Autobiography
     The Shower of Roses
     A World-Wide Devotion
     The Pilgrimage to Lisieux
     The Canonisation
     Proclaimed Doctor of the Church
Epilogue

I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume. I was surprised by how few but having now read a number of books about this saint maybe that makes sense. The ones I highlighted were:

“That little child was Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin, later to be raised to the Altars of the Church as St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, and to be known more popularly as “the little Flower”.”

“She was the youngest of nine children. Four of them had died quite young, two of whom were little boys. Their death was a grievous disappointment to the parents, who from the first had always prayed that God would give them among their children one who should be a priest and a saint. Of the remaining four sisters, Marie was the eldest, and to her therefore was entrusted the care of little Thérèse in her earliest years. Quiet and reserved, unwavering in principle but with all the tenderness of a little mother, she laid the first foundations of the character of the future Saint.”

“But one thing was for ever altered for Thérèse, her mother was in heaven and heaven was her real home. Her home on earth was but a passing, broken thing. The mother she loved so dearly was in heaven.”

“It was during one of these evening walks that her father took Thérèse to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the Carmel chapel. “Look, little one”, he said, pointing to the grille, “behind there are the holy nuns who are always praying”. It was in that chapel nine years later that the little one was to take the veil.”

“Nothing reveals the failings of good people more than the close intimacy of life on a pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims were many priests. Edifying though they were, they were not wholly freed from every weakness of human nature. “During that month”, she says, “I met many holy priests, and I have seen that if their sublime dignity has raised them above the Angels, they are as men still subject to human weakness and frailty. If these holy priests, whom Jesus in the Gospel calls the salt of the earth, show that they have need of prayer, what of those who are lukewarm?” It was thus she realised that prayer for priests was one of the highest services rendered by Carmel.”

“Much of what we have been considering will of course appear trivial. Why make such a fuss over little things? And here we face the whole point. It is precisely this self-conquest, for it is nothing less than self-conquest, in little things which the world never realises, which is the real secret of sanctity in great things.”

“Thus she specially preferred doing things for others that were never known, watching for any little thing that had been left undone or needed to be done that had not been noticed, rejoicing to be able to do something for others that was never known and never seen.”

“And this is that little book which was written at odd moments, amid continual distractions, during exhausting illness, without any effort after literary style; written in a poor little copybook; the book which was put on one side for months and forgotten; the book the value of which she herself only realised at the very last when she said: “This work is very important. These pages will do a great deal of good”.”

This is a short biography but it is still packed full of great information. The more I read about Thérèse the more I appreciate her little way. This volume does an excellent job of presenting her life, and the impact of her witness after her death. 

This is one of at least three books that Mgr Vernon Johnson wrote about this saint. His deep devotion is evident. But also his clear that in this volume he is writing not a hagiography but looking at the message and teachings she has left to us. It is an excellent volume in a wonderful series. It is a great read and I highly recommend it. I am trying to track down some of the Out of print volumes from the CTS on Thérèse, but can easily recommend this little booklet.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews in the CTS Biographies Series Click here.
For reviews of other books about St Thérèse of Lisieux click here.

CTS Books and Booklets n the life and spirituality of St Thérèse:
Thérèse of Lisieux - On the visit of her relics to Great Britain (Do 810)
Louis and Zélie Martin, Parents of Thérèse of Lisieux, by Paulinus Redmond (B 709)


Books in the CTS Great Saints Series:
Antonio Rosmini - J.B. Midgley
Bernard of Clairvaux - J.B. Midgley
Benedict Patron of Europe - J.B. Midgley
Charles Borromeo - J.B. Midgley
Dominic - J.B. Midgley
Elizabeth of the Trinity The Great Carmelite Saint - Jennifer Moorcroft
Francis de Sales - J.B. Midgley
Gemma Galgani Gem of Christ John Paul Kirkham
George: Patron of England - J.B. Midgley
John Baptist de La Salle - J.B. Midgley
John of the Cross - Jennifer Moorcroft
John Vianney - J.B. Midgley
Martin de Porres - Glynn MacNiven-Johnston
Patrick Missionary to the Irish - Thomas O’Loughlin 

St Thérèse of Lisieux: Transformation into Love - Jennifer Moorcroft - CTS Biographies

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux - Vernon Johnson - CTS Biographies

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux - Vernon Johnson - CTS Biographies




Saint Thérèse of Lisieux Prayers and Devotions - Donal Anthony Foley - CTS Devotions

Praying for Priests with St Therese of Lisieux - Maureen O'Riordan - CTS Devotions


The Little Way of St Therese of Lisieux: In Her Own Words

The Little Way of St Therese of Lisieux: In Her Own Words

The Little Way of St Therese of Lisieux: In Her Own Words

Thérèse Teacher of Prayer - Brother Craig

Seeing the Pandemic with Eyes of Faith - Father Ivano Millico - Seven Prophets for Our Time
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Wednesday, 10 January 2024

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers: 
800 Years of Service: 1216-2016
Father Richard Finn, OP
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781784691011
eISBN 9781784692605
ASIN B072LRV3BH
CTS Booklet B766

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies

A few years back I stumbled upon the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. I instantly fell in love with the clear and concise writing; the wonderful lives of Saints and Blesseds, amazing histories and the church teaching. I have read over 370 books from the CTS, and I have been blessed and benefited from almost all of them. There are many wonderful series. This is the first volume I have read from the pen of Father Richard Finn, and I believe the only one he wrote for the CTS. I loved the books in the CTS Great Saints Series. I have also read many in the CTS Biographies and also Saints of the Isles Series. And have enjoyed all of them. This volume is a fantastic read, in a wonderful series! This volume is a fantastic read, in a wonderful series! This book was originally part of the CTS Great Saints Series which has since been rebranded Saints & Blesseds. This volume was originally published in 2016, the eBook edition was released in 2017.   

The description of this book is:

“This history of St Dominic and of the Order describes the major developments in the Order’s mission and the influence of major saints and leading figures over time.

Written for the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Dominican Order of Preachers in 2016, this history sets St Dominic and his Order’s developing mission in the context of major social changes through the centuries and across the globe.

The story is enriched by the contribution of major saints and leading figures such as St Thomas Aquinas, St Catherine of Siena, Girolamo Savonarola, Bartolomé de Las Casas, St Martin de Porres, Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, and Yves Congar. Particular attention is given to some of the English-speaking provinces.”

And the chapters in this little volume are:

Beginnings
From Toulouse to Tbilisi
Medieval Dominicans at Work
From the Medieval to the Modern World
From the Reformation to the French Revolution
The Order’s Growth in the New World
Surviving revolution and the Nineteenth-Century Revival
Universities and Parishes in the English Province
Twentieth-Century Missions

I highlighted numerous passages while reading this volume. Some of them are:

“St Dominic grew up to found an international Order of Preachers. Known colloquially after their founder as Dominicans, their Latin name was easily heard as Domini canes, dogs of the Lord. The pun stuck, and the dog with a torch in its mouth became an enduring symbol of their mission to preach and teach the Catholic Faith.”

“His preaching would win credence first by his understanding of Scripture; the saint was said to have known by heart Matthew’s Gospel and Paul’s letters. He also required manifest humility, and a visible poverty, so he would walk from town to town, not ride on horseback. St Dominic himself went barefoot in the countryside. He would engage individuals in conversation. He would be a compassionate listener.”

“The common ownership of the monks and canons depended on sizeable landholdings or rental income. This would have to be replaced by a more radical and visible form of dependency on God’s providence: mendicancy, the begging practised by St Francis. Finally, the preacher’s mission would be linked to reconciling sinners to God and his Church through hearing confessions.”

“On the Feast of the Assumption (15th August), 1217, Dominic broke up the community. Against the wishes of Bishop Fulk, he sent friars north to Paris and south into Spain. He himself headed for the papal court in Italy to gain the decrees needed to promote a wider mission. A diocesan institute was transformed into the nucleus of an international order of preachers who were no longer tied for life to a particular religious house or diocese.”

“The friars’ dispatch to Oxford from Bologna tells us much about the nascent Order. St Dominic had recognised the value of an assembly or ‘General Chapter’ along Cistercian lines, which could legislate for the whole Order, evolve a set of constitutions which adapted inherited customs and command the obedience of every friar, including himself as Master of the Order. It was a General Chapter that sent Gilbert to found a house at Oxford. The same assembly also saw the need to group convents into regional units or ‘provinces’ overseen by a Provincial.”

“The English mission was part of a larger push to establish bridge-heads in far-flung parts of Christendom and beyond. The Chapter of 1221 sent friars east to Hungary, north to Denmark and Poland. Local superiors like Gilbert then oversaw further foundations. Dominican houses opened at London by 1224, Norwich in 1226, York a year later and at Bristol by 1230.”

“Meanwhile, friars from England founded priories at Dublin and Drogheda in 1224, and a further four in Ireland by the end of the decade. They soon had one at Cardiff in Wales, and at least five in Scotland by 1250. It was a similar story of rapid growth elsewhere. There was a house in Constantinople by 1233.”

“Popes issued decrees which recommended the friars, rewarded their supporters or exempted the friars from restrictions imposed by other clerics who felt threatened by the new arrivals. In Scotland, a papal indulgence promoted the building of a priory at Glasgow.”

“One group of friars led by Giovanni Dominici, and inspired by the lay Dominican St Catherine of Siena, promoted what became known as the Observant Reform, a commitment to strict observance of the Order’s constitutions concerning diet, common ownership, etc. In 1390, for example, the priory at Drogheda in Ireland was named as a house of regular observance. Yet, while many recognised the need for change, there was little agreement on its nature.”

“Nine years later, Martin became a lay brother and soon afterwards was made the convent’s infirmarian. Care of the sick was combined with other servile tasks such as cleaning the latrines, so a broom became his tell-tale sign in later pictures. Hours given to prayer had to be snatched from sleep.”

“In a cruel society, Martin was a sign of God’s boundless compassion. It was soon recognised that his power as a healer was more than a matter of skill and experience; it was miraculous.”

“The Americas were not the only places where the friars arrived with colonial adventurers. As the Portuguese established an empire in Africa and the Far East from the late fifteenth century, friars appeared in trading posts or the territories of client rulers. Some served as bishops; others belonged to small missionary communities, like the four who travelled out to the Congo with a new governor in 1570. There were Dominicans in Portuguese East Africa throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though they generally lacked the financial means to underpin evangelisation.”

“Benavides strongly advocated missions unsupported by military campaigns. In 1602 the friars arrived in southern Japan, where the Jesuits had created a large church of several hundred thousand, but in 1614 the shogun Tokugawa Iyeyasu began the violent suppression of Christianity. Seven friars were among those who refused to leave. They ministered in secret until they were eventually caught and martyred.”

“In France the First Republic suppressed all religious houses, and the last Dominican convent closed at Paris in 1793.”

“Four European provinces sent friars to different parts of the Caribbean. The Irish had taken over responsibility for a mission on Trinidad from French friars in 1897 (though French and Irish worked alongside each other for several decades). The English took on a mission on Grenada in 1901 which later extended to Barbados and Jamaica. The Dutch (who had already a mission in the Dutch Antilles since 1870) arrived on Puerto Rico in 1904. French friars from the Province of Toulouse would arrive much later in Haiti.”

“Several missions suffered in the conflicts that preceded or followed national independence. Thirteen Dominicans lost their lives in the Congo during the civil war of 1964.”

“South Africa, where the Dutch and English vicariates merged to form a general vicariate in 1968, was not a newly independent nation, but the growing opposition to the apartheid regime by friars and sisters soon led to several being expelled from the country.”

“Two friars were among those who lost their lives for helping Jews persecuted by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Second World War. After studies at the Angelicum (the Dominican university in Rome) and at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, Giuseppe Girotti taught theology in Turin. Following the Nazi occupation of Italy in 1943 he arranged hideouts for Jews who were being smuggled out of the country, but was caught in August 1944 while helping a Jew who had been wounded. Girotti was sent to Dachau where he died on 1st April 1945.”

“The partitioning of the Republic and a series of repressive measures in the following century led to the friars’ disappearance from what are now the Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine, as well as from Russian and Prussian occupied Poland. Many friars were deported to Siberia. Many were martyred during the Soviet period. Yet, a long-term renaissance in the Order began after 1918 led by a distinguished Thomist scholar Jacek Woroniecki OP. Recovery continued after 1945 in spite of communism. Polish friars strongly supported the continued existence of a Catholic intelligentsia through pastoral work with students at Poznan, Krakow, Gdansk and Lublin.”

“Across the Order, about one sixth of the friars are new members in training. There are growing numbers of friars, sisters and lay Dominicans in Vietnam, thriving provinces in India and the Philippines, as well as new Asian missions.”

“Some eight hundred years after St Dominic created the Order of Preachers, God’s dogs are still busy, active in over one hundred countries across the globe. Much remains to be done. As the friars’ Fundamental Constitution declares, the Order must renew and “adapt itself courageously” in times of “accelerating change” for its “fundamental purpose and the way of life which follows from it retain their worth in every age”.”

This volume is like a mini biography of Saint Dominic and brief history of the order, following it’s spread around the world. And periods of waning and waxing over time. 

This is a great little volume. It seems every time I read a book from the Catholic Truth Society I find 2 or three others I want to read. I have an ever growing wish list of eBooks, books in print, and books out of print I want to track down. I greatly enjoyed this volume. This is an excellent read, in a great series, and one I can easily recommend.  

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For reviews in the CTS Biographies Series Click here.

Books in the CTS Great Saints Series:
Antonio Rosmini - J.B. Midgley
Bernard of Clairvaux - J.B. Midgley
Benedict Patron of Europe - J.B. Midgley
Charles Borromeo - J.B. Midgley
Dominic - J.B. Midgley
Elizabeth of the Trinity The Great Carmelite Saint - Jennifer Moorcroft
Francis de Sales - J.B. Midgley
Gemma Galgani Gem of Christ John Paul Kirkham
George: Patron of England - J.B. Midgley
John Baptist de La Salle - J.B. Midgley
John of the Cross - Jennifer Moorcroft
John Vianney - J.B. Midgley
Martin de Porres - Glynn MacNiven-Johnston
Patrick Missionary to the Irish - Thomas O’Loughlin 








St Thérèse of Lisieux: Transformation into Love - Jennifer Moorcroft - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies

Dominic and the Order of Preachers - Father Richard Finn, OP - CTS Biographies



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